UNM football notebook: A statement win, a stormed field and a turning point for the Lobos

Notes, quotes, stats and thoughts from New Mexico’s stunning 38-35 win over No. 19 Washington State:

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They came slowly, then quickly, then all at once. Players and coaches were already steeped in a party over 20 years in the making as fans streamed out one by one, amoeba-ing around an ever-growing mass at midfield.

Once they mixed, there was no use making sense of it.

“I’m getting shoulder grabbed, people putting their arms around my shoulder, like, ‘DEV, DEV COME HERE!’” quarterback Devon Dampier laughed during a postgame press conference.

But after a few minutes of raucous, hold-on-for-dear-life celebration, a sort of giddy calm settled over the turf at University Stadium. OK, so the field’s been stormed – now what? Wide receiver Luke Wysong took pictures with family and friends, any kid that asked. In fact, everybody took pictures with everybody.

Other kids started playing catch with little footballs. People walked around with coats draped over their arms, like they were walking back to their cars after dinner. What was so spontaneous, so unexpected, was suddenly casual in a matter of minutes.

“Yeah. Yeah, there’s like 100,000 people there,” a man in a black ball cap said facetiously on FaceTime, barely holding back a smile on the edge of the red zone. Linebackers coach Shane Hunter ran right past him as he tried to usher – or at the very least, entice – players back into the facility.

“Party inside!” he yelled.

Another man with a white beard, black gloves and a well-worn Lobos pullover walked away from the fading mass and shook his arms over his head. Then he put them down. He balled his hands into fists and raised them back up to his chest.

“YES!” he yelled to no one in particular.

Somewhere near the propped open doors of the Tow Diehm Facility, Bronco Mendenhall stood there and watched.

None of it seemed casual.

“I think we oughta just pause for a second,” New Mexico’s head coach said towards the start of his postgame press conference. “The field got stormed at the University of New Mexico.”

There might not be much else to say about New Mexico’s 38-35 comeback win over No. 19 Washington State other than it might just be the turning point for the program. A major part of that is simply because nights like Saturday just don’t happen often, or at all: Entering their home finale, the Lobos had only beaten ranked opponents six times in 67 tries, four of those wins coming at home.

It had been over 20 years since UNM beat a ranked team, 30 since the Lobos did it at University Stadium. That all ended abruptly when quarterback John Mateer’s Hail Mary with three seconds left was batted away, and players kick-started the celebration before fans joined in.

“I ended up wandering over to my parents and my girlfriend,” linebacker Dimitri Johnson said after. “I really wanted to spend my last home game possibly with my parents. And it (was) just a surreal moment.

“I had no idea what was going on in my head. I was just running. It was instinct.”

But few could place that turn quite like Mendenhall. In the aftermath, he shook hands with Washington State head coach Jake Dickert before he was doused with Gatorade and ripped up from the ground, players embracing him in bear hugs.

Then, “I got out,” Mendenhall said. He stood off to the side and started to make sense of the moment, thinking about his second year as the head coach at Virginia. Those Cavaliers beat Georgia Tech 40-36 on Nov. 4, 2017, and like Saturday, those fans stormed the field.

“And that was one of the coolest things I had ever seen,” he said, “where a community was so starved to have good football, and to have a place to go for Christmas and play. It’s like – our football team is good.”

Virginia didn’t win another game the rest of the year. It didn’t matter – they felt like they had made it. Things had finally turned.

“And this,” Mendenhall gestured out towards the field, “was better than that.”

Slowly, quickly, then all at once.

Finding their level

For the second straight game, Mendenhall told players that this one was going down to the final drive. Either UNM or Washington State would have it, and the Lobos would have to figure it out from there. That presentation in and of itself isn’t all too unusual or eye-popping.

The rest of the message was, though: If UNM was going to get there, Mendenhall thought it’d be at the tail end of a less than ideal start. Maybe they’d match Washington State. Maybe they’d trail. But the first quarter or so might not be anything to write home about.

“My message to our team this week (was) if we could weather the storm in the first couple of drives, in the first half, it would level out,” he said, “and we’ll catch up. To the speed, to the plays, to just what it is. And it played out just like that.”

Washington State’s first three drives: 23 plays, 257 yards (11.2 yards per play) in 10:53 for three touchdowns and a 21-7 lead. After missing practice all week, Mateer was virtually unstoppable, connecting on his first 11 passes and keeping UNM totally off balance on the ground.

If it didn’t look great, well, it was at least going according to the plan – for both sides.

“We did everything we wanted, really, besides one throw on offense in the first half,” Dickert said.

Washington State’s final nine drives: 44 plays, 280 yards (6.4 yards per play) for two touchdowns and five punts. It’s worth noting that Mateer had at least three costly misfires on open receivers, especially in the third quarter. He connects with any of them and perhaps UNM doesn’t have enough in the end to get the fans on the field.

But he didn’t. And for the second time in three games, UNM went out and played inspired second half defense after struggling at the start.

What changed? Depends on who you talk to.

“I thought they were a little more aggressive,” Dickert said. “They zero pressured some stuff. They (played) a little bit more man (coverage).”

“We didn’t make hardly any adjustments,” Mendenhall said, “other than we just caught up to it.”

It’s also worth noting that UNM was working with two, sometimes three, quarterback spies on Mateer. That started to play a little better in the second half as the Lobos’ coverage put him in positions he wasn’t seeing in the first.

Consider: In the first half, UNM gave up seven explosive passes (20 or more) yards for 201 yards and two touchdowns. In the second, the Lobos allowed just two for 58 yards, including Mateer’s fling to wide receiver Kyle Williams for a 37-yard touchdown to retake the lead.

And that was it. Mateer’s misfires helped, but when UNM needed them, the secondary – one that started the year giving up loads of big plays – answered the call.

“Our matchups were tough on the outside,” Mendenhall said. “They caught a pass on (cornerback) Noa Pola-Gates on an out-and-up, and they caught one on (cornerback) Bryson Taylor on a stop-and-go. Then we cut their tight end loose (for) a 60-yard gain on an assignment mistake and then versus straight our all-out pressure, we gave up another fade ball…

“Really, we knew if we could just address that, right – just not letting the giant plays go over our head with extra time for their quarterback on double moves, that we’d have a chance to make this thing balance out a little bit more. And so that’s what we did.”

Dampier’s dominance

That being said, Mateer ended the night with a stat line that will only bolster Dickert’s opinion that he’s the best quarterback on the west coast: 25-for-36 passing for 375 yards and four touchdowns with 68 yards on the ground and a score is something a lot of teams would die for. Or at least pay a lot of money for.

It was not the winning stat line, however.

With 192 rushing yards off a career-high 28 (!) carries, Dampier is now the first UNM quarterback to rush for 1,000-plus yards in a season. In doing so, the sophomore broke Stoney Case’s previous program record for total offense in a season, surging to 3,657 yards.

He also broke the rock for the second time this season, a Mendenhall-driven tradition that’s starting to pick up steam with each victory. Wins probably shouldn’t be considered a quarterback stat at the collegiate level, but they’re certainly part of the picture. And this one is easily the best Dampier’s racked up in his 11-game run as UNM’s starter.

“The records and all that are great,” Dampier said. “It’s hard for me to come up here and pat my back – there’s so many people on this journey that (have) helped … There’s no way I can fully give myself all the credit. I’m just happy (to have) the group I’m around.”

The last time this happened…

Now it’s time to tell the story of the most unlikely win in the recent history of the University of New Mexico football program.

That was the lede written by former Journal staff writer Ed Johnson the last time something like this happened. It very well could have been the lede 30 years later.

But for clarity’s sake, Johnson was writing about UNM’s 23-21 win over No. 9 Utah on Nov 5, 1994 – the last time the Lobos beat a ranked team in “previously haunted” University Stadium. Nathan Vail sent UNM to ecstasy that day, kicking a game-winning 22-yard field goal with 32 seconds left and fans tore down the goalposts after taking the field.

At least a few were mad at head coach Dennis Franchione for reneging on his promise to help them in that process if they won.

“I couldn’t get there in time,” Franchione told the Journal.

The other three instances, and how they were recounted in the next day’s Journal:

Nov. 18, 1989: New Mexico 45, No. 23 Fresno State 22

Headline: Lobos Pay Back the Bulldogs

Author: Phill Casaus, Journal assistant sports editor

The lede: How Sweeney it is.

Whipped into an incendiary frenzy by reams of offensive bulletin-board quotes, the University of New Mexico’s pent-up frustration exploded on 23rd-ranked Fresno State Saturday at University Stadium.

The Lobos stuffed a 45-22 shocker down the throats of the previously unbeaten Bulldogs and their controversial coach, Jim Sweeney – just 14 months after the same team pillaged UNM, 68-21.

Notable: UNM wide receiver Terance Mathis overcame some early nerves to break the NCAA record for career receptions against the Bulldogs, hauling in a shovel pass to bring his four-year total to 263 catches.

Sept. 6, 1980: New Mexico 25, No. 19 BYU 21

Headline: UNM Revival Shocks Cougars, 25-21

Author: Frank Maestas, Journal sports writer

The lede: Call it a major upset. Call it a miracle. Call it a fluke. Call it anything you like. A victory by any other name is still a victory.

And a victory is what heavy underdog New Mexico received Saturday night as the Lobos stunned nationally-ranked Brigham Young 25-21 in a Western Athletic Conference season opener for both schools.

Notable: That was former head coach Joe Morrison’s first game – and win – with the Lobos. Morrison would lead UNM to an 18-15-1 record over three seasons before leaving to coach South Carolina.

Nov. 30, 1940: New Mexico 19, No. 18 Texas Tech 14

Headline: New Mexico Hands Texas Tech First Defeat

Author: Paul Weeks, Journal sports editor

The lede: Attaining the sublime heights of the gridiron, New Mexico University’s miracle team rose to erase Texas Tech’s undefeated record in the nation Saturday, bringing the Lobo’s 1940 season to the greatest climax in history with a 19 to 14 victory.

In springing one of the major upsets of the day, the quick-striking Lobos threw pandemonium into the ranks of the Techsans, erstwhile 18th ranking team in the United States, who had not tasted defeat this season.

Notable: That was UNM’s first-ever win over a ranked opponent. Also, the Journal reported that 60 (!) Lobos smoked cigars in the locker room afterwards.

Home attendance

Saturday’s announced attendance: 14,067. How that shook out compared to the rest of the Lobos’ smaller-than-normal, oddly sequenced and now completed home slate:

- vs. Montana State (Aug. 24): 17,314

- vs. Fresno State (Sept. 21): 18,019

- vs. Air Force (Oct. 12): 15,561

- vs. Wyoming (Nov. 2): 15,046

- vs. Washington State (Nov. 16): 14,067

That’s a total of 80,007 announced fans through the gates at University Stadium for an average of 16,001 per game – an increase of 20 fans from last year’s average of 15,981 despite one less home game. Take out a 27-17 loss to New Mexico State that 27,414 attended on Sept. 16, 2023 and UNM actually increased its average attendance by 2,306 fans per game.

So, while UNM didn’t get 20,000 or more in the stands once this year, this is the third straight season the Lobos saw an increase in average attendance at home games. How it compares to the last 10 seasons:

- 2014: 21,937

- 2015: 22,562

- 2016: 20,277

- 2017: 21,193

- 2018: 16,587

- 2019: 15,747

- 2020: N/A

- 2021: 16,332

- 2022: 14,961

- 2023: 15,981

- 2024: 16,001

(Officially) win and in

After a 49-45 loss to Wyoming on Nov. 2, UNM’s bowl odds per ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) dropped below 2%. It was then that the Lobos were tasked with winning out, and the odds seemed ...

Now? FPI gives UNM a 40% chance to make a bowl – easily (and unsurprisingly) their best odds of the season. Hawaii is no pushover (especially at home) but for the first time in a long time, the postseason is a real – and maybe expected – possibility.

“Coach Mendenhall made it very (clear about) our situation and how big this opportunity is,” Dampier said. “And we’ve worked so hard to get here and have this opportunity in our hands, you know? Why not take full advantage of it?”

Snap counts

UNM’s offensive snap counts via PFF:

- QB Devon Dampier (76)

- OL LaJuan Owens (76)

- OL McKenzie Agnello (76)

- OL Baraka Beckett (76)

- WR Ryan Davis (74)

- WR Luke Wysong (73)

- OL Wallace Unamba (44)

- TE Trace Bruckler (42)

- RB Eli Sanders (39)

- TE Isaiah Sillemon (38)

- WR Caleb Medford (37)

- OL Malik Aliane (32)

- RB Na’Quari Rogers (26)

- TE Vincent Santos (23)

- WR Nic Trujillo (14)

- RB Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters (12)

- OL Matthew Toilolo (2)

That’s a full game for McKenzie Agnello playing both center and right tackle after Wallace Unamba went out with an undisclosed injury. UNM shuffled its line to move the former in place of the latter, with regular backup Malik Aliane subbing in for Agnello at center.

“Just individual credit to McKenzie,” Dampier said. “McKenzie played left tackle (in fall camp), has to play center (and) then has to move to right tackle during the middle of the game. Big shout-out to him just to be able to be that flexible guy for us, and just allow us to have that advantage against other teams all year.”

And what happened with Unamba?

“I don’t know,” Mendenhall said. “I know that we beat Washington State tonight, that’s what I know.”

Also: Na’Quari Rogers saw a more extended workload, racking up six carries for 48 yards after touching the ball once last week. He also threw a huge block on Dampier’s lone passing touchdown to Medford, a 42-yard strike to make it 28-14 heading into the half.

UNM’s defensive snap counts via PFF:

- LB Dimitri Johnson (69)

- S Christian Ellis (69)

- S Noah Avinger (69)

- S Skylar Cook (69)

- CB Noa Pola-Gates (57)

- S Nigel Williams (55)

- EDGE Moso Tuitele (52)

- EDGE Gabriel Lopez (47)

- CB Bryson Taylor (39)

- DT Devin Brandt-Epps (39)

- LB Randolph Kpai (36)

- DT Garrison Walker (35)

- LB Jayden Wilson (32)

- CB Drew Speech (31)

- CB Cam Watts (25)

- DT Sa’Kylee Woodard (6)

- NT Malik Aliane (2)

The low end of these snap counts is about as wild as it gets for a game like this. Aliane – remember, the backup center – with two snaps at nose after Bryce Santana didn’t play with an undisclosed injury? True freshman Sa’Kylee Woodard getting his first (limited) career action in the middle of the defensive line?

And Drew Speech – who played just two snaps last week – coming in for 31 defensive plays after injuries forced him back into the fold? Allowing just one catch for eight yards on four targets, no less?

“He’s been working on our scout team, what we call our ‘mad hatters,’ most of the year,” Mendenhall said. “ … He’s capable, he’s fast, he’s long, he’s tough, but he’s been learning our system. He’s been learning college football, he’s been learning the game of football.

“We put him in tonight and he just changes the game. And if you would’ve asked me before the game if that was the storyline, that’s probably not something I would have said.”

Also: Johnson has now played the third-most snaps (737) of any linebacker in the 134-team FBS.

Extra points

- Weekly injury report: Safeties Bobby Arnold III and Dereck Moore, defensive tackles Tyler Kiehne and Kyler Drake, cornerback Jahvante Royal and running back Javen Jacobs did not dress for Saturday’s game.

- Why did Washington State not call a timeout during UNM’s final drive? An answer from Dickert on one of the most puzzling sequences during the chaotic final minutes of Saturday’s game:

“The (analytics) book says inside of, you know, the 10-yard-line, you got to save your time,” he said. “Probably on the third and short, if I had to go back and do it again, I’d probably rip the timeout there.

“Because they’re going to get all their plays in, and we need to save time for ourselves on the back end. That was probably the one thing I’d probably do (differently) again.”

- With 360 yards on the ground on Saturday, UNM is now averaging 249.91 rushing yards per game – good for seventh in the 134-team FBS.